How to Summon a Bot in CS2: Ultimate Guide for Practice and Testing

Counter-Strike 2 continues the tradition of letting players customize their experience, and bots remain a key feature for practice, testing, or casual play. Whether you’re honing your aim, simulating team scenarios, or just experimenting, knowing how to summon and manage bots is a valuable skill. This article walks you through the process step-by-step, lists the essential commands, and offers troubleshooting tips to keep your sessions smooth.

Prerequisites: Enabling the Developer Console

Before using bot commands, make sure the developer console is enabled in your game settings:

Go to Settings > Game.
Toggle Enable Developer Console to “On.”

The console is your main hub for entering commands to control bots.

Step-by-Step Guide to Summoning a Bot

Step 1: Open the Developer Console

Press the tilde key (~) to open the console.
If it doesn’t work, you can rebind the key in your keyboard settings.

Step 2: Use the bot_add Command

Type one of the following commands to add a bot:

bot_add (adds a bot to a random team).
bot_add_t (adds a bot to Terrorists).
bot_add_ct (adds a bot to Counter-Terrorists).

To specify difficulty, use numbers 0 (easy), 1 (normal), 2 (hard), or 3 (expert) with the bot_difficulty command.

Example Command:

bot_add_ct; bot_difficulty 3

This spawns a Counter-Terrorist bot at the highest skill level.

Step 3: Customize Bot Behavior

Adjust the bots to fit your needs:

Difficulty: Set a global bot difficulty level with:bot_difficulty 0/1/2/3 (0 = easiest, 3 = hardest)
Team Balance: To freely add bots without restrictions, disable team limits:mp_limitteams 0mp_autoteambalance 0

Step 4: Advanced Controls

Action	Command	Description
Pause all bots	bot_stop 1	Use bot_stop 0 to resume
Remove all bots	bot_kick	Removes all bots
Remove a specific bot by name	bot_kick [name]	Removes a specific bot by name
Place a bot near you	bot_place	Spawns a bot at your current location

Full List of Bot Commands

Command	Function
bot_add	Adds a bot to a random team.
bot_add_t	Adds a bot to the Terrorist team.
bot_add_ct	Adds a bot to the Counter-Terrorist team.
bot_kick	Removes all bots from the server.
bot_kick [name/all]	Removes a specific bot by name or all bots.
bot_quota [number]	Sets the total number of bots in the game.
bot_quota_mode [normal/fill]	Sets how bots fill teams: maintain player count (normal) or fill empty slots (fill).
bot_difficulty [0/1/2/3]	Sets global bot difficulty: 0 (easy), 1 (normal), 2 (hard), 3 (expert).
bot_stop 1/0	Freezes (1) or resumes (0) all bot movement.
bot_place	Spawns a bot at your crosshair position.
bot_kill	Kills all bots.
bot_kill [name]	Kills a specific bot.
bot_allow_grenades 0/1	Disables (0) or enables (1) grenade use for bots.
bot_allow_pistols 0/1	Disables (0) or enables (1) pistol use for bots.
bot_allow_rifles 0/1	Disables (0) or enables (1) rifle use for bots.
bot_allow_shotguns 0/1	Disables (0) or enables (1) shotgun use for bots.
bot_allow_snipers 0/1	Disables (0) or enables (1) sniper use for bots.
bot_allow_sub_machine_guns 0/1	Disables (0) or enables (1) SMG use for bots.
bot_knives_only	Forces bots to use only knives.
bot_pistols_only	Forces bots to use only pistols.
bot_all_weapons	Allows bots to use all weapons.
bot_chatter [off/minimal/normal]	Sets bot radio chatter level.
bot_zombie 1/0	Makes bots idle (1) or return to normal (0); they won’t attack but may move.
bot_mimic 1/0	Makes bots mimic your movements (1) or disables mimic (0).
bot_crouch 1/0	Forces bots to crouch (1) or disables forced crouch (0).
bot_allow_rogues 1/0	Allows (1) or disallows (0) bots to leave the group and act independently.
bot_dont_shoot 1/0	Prevents bots from shooting (1) or allows shooting (0).
bot_join_after_player 1/0	Bots join only after a human player joins (1) or can join anytime (0).
bot_show_nav 1/0	Displays (1) or hides (0) the navigation mesh for bots.
bot_show_battlefront 1/0	Shows (1) or hides (0) the first encounter points for bots.
bot_show_occupy_time 1/0	Shows (1) or hides (0) the area each team’s bots can reach first.
bot_goto_mark	Sends a bot to a marked navigation area.
bot_goto_selected	Sends a bot to a selected navigation area.
bot_defer_to_human_goals 1/0	Allows (1) or disallows (0) bots to complete scenario objectives if humans are present.
bot_defer_to_human_items 1/0	Allows (1) or disallows (0) bots to pick up scenario items if humans are present.
bot_max_vision_distance_override X	Sets the max vision distance for bots to X units.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Console Not Working

Make sure the developer console is enabled in Settings > Game > Enable Developer Console. If it’s already on but still won’t open, try restarting the game. Also, check your key bindings to ensure the console key (~) is correctly assigned, and temporarily disable any overlays (like Steam) that might block it.

Bots Not Spawning

Double-check your command syntax (e.g., use bot_add_ct for Counter-Terrorists) and confirm the server or game mode supports bots. Some maps, official matchmaking modes, or servers restrict bot usage. Additionally, verify that team limits aren’t preventing new bots by adjusting mp_limitteams and mp_autoteambalance if needed.

Performance Lag

Lower the number of bots or reduce their difficulty to ease the load on less powerful hardware. High bot counts can cause lag on older systems. You can also improve performance by lowering graphics settings or closing unnecessary background programs.

Conclusion

Mastering bot commands in CS2 opens doors to tailored practice sessions and creative gameplay experiments. From adjusting difficulty to assigning roles, these tools empower players to refine skills or test strategies in a controlled environment. As you experiment, remember that small tweaks, like pausing bots or renaming them, can significantly enhance your workflow. For deeper dives into game mechanics, explore community forums or official CS2 documentation to stay updated on new features.